Weyzero Abebech (Ethiopian Patriot)
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Ethiopian Patriot: Weyzero Abebech.
When the fascist of Italy, Mussolini, sent his Italian men to Ethiopia, the brave daughters of Ethiopia were there to protect it's dignity.
Weyzero Abebech was the wife of a senior officer in the Ethiopian army. After seeing her husband on the front, she decided that she would not simply cry and pray. Like many daughters of Ethiopia in the past, she opted to protect Ethiopia.
She actively began the creation of the "Ethiopian Women's Military Movement" in Addis Abeba and urged the wives and mothers of soldiers to work to supply the army, care for the wounded and assistant the refugees.
Weyzero Abebech was well known internationally. Newspapers in the United States would write articles about her and her patriotism. Newspapers in Texas, Pennsylvania, California and other places would speak of her bravery.
The famous American military journalist Paula LeCler, having taken an interview with Weyzero Abebech, took some pictures of the 'bold Ethiopian woman' with her horse while dressed in Ethiopian army uniform, armed with a German self-loading " Borchardt - Luger " and a gun .
In 1935 she began a speech with a direct message to the daughters of Ethiopia:
"Sisters, we need to study military science, learn how to fight with a rifle, a machine gun, a knife, so we can help our loved ones fight against the cruel enemy". Protect Ethiopia.
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Afewerk Tekle (Ethiopian artist)
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AFEWORK TEKLE
Afewerk Tekle, born on October 22 1932, was one of Ethiopia's most celebrated artists, particularly knownfor his paintings on African and Christian themes as well as his stained glass.
Born in Ankober to Feleketch Yamatawork and Tekle Mamo, Afewerk grew up under the Italian occupation during the Second World War. Following the war, in 1947, Afewerk decided that he wanted to help rebuild Ethiopia and elected to travel to England to study mining engineering. Before departing, Afewerk, together with other students leaving to study overseas, was addressed by Emperor Haile Selassie. Afewerk recalls being told "you must work hard, and when you come back do not tell us what tall buildings you saw in Europe, or what wide streets they have, but make sure you return equipped with the skills and the mindset to rebuild Ethiopia".
Afewerk had already shown talent as an artist as a child, decorating several walls in his home town. Whilst at boarding school in England, this talent was recognised and encouraged by his teachers. As a result, Afewerk was persuaded to switch from engineering and enroll in Central School of Arts and Crafts in London. He then went on to the Slade School of Art where he studied painting, sculpture and architecture.
Returning to Ethiopia as a university graduate, Afewerk could have accepted an assigned ministerial post, but instead decided to spend time travelling around the provinces of Ethiopia to get more experience of his native country and culture, which he reflected in his paintings. In 1954 he held his first one-man show in Addis Ababa, that gave him the funds to travel around Europe for two years where he learnt how to design and construct stained glass windows. He also made a special study on Ethiopian illustrated manuscripts in the British Library, the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris and the Vatican Library.
Back in Ethiopia, Afewerk opened a studio in the National Library of Ethiopia. His growing recognition lead to government commissions for murals and mosaics in St George's Cathedral, Addis Ababa, and several of his designs were used on the national stamps. He was also commissioned to produce sculptures of famous Ethiopians, although only the monumental statue of Ras Makonnen in Harrar was completed. Most notably, in 1958 he designed the stained glass windows in the Africa Hall of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa. The three windows cover an area of 150 square meters, and represent the sorrow of Africa's past, the struggle of the present, and hope for Africa's future.
In 1961 Afewerk held a major retrospective in Addis Ababa, which led to his painting Maskal Flower being shown at international exhibitions in Russia, the United States and Senegal. Increasing funds allowed Afewerk to travel around the continent of Africa. With much of Africa still emerging from colonialism, Afewerk became fired with black emancipation and the struggles for independence. This is reflected in his paintings of this time, with titles like Backbones of African Civilization and African Unity.
In 1964 he became the first laureate of the Haile Selassie I Prize for Fine Arts. As his reputation spread abroad, Afewerk was invited to put on an exhibition in Moscow following which he toured the Soviet Union giving lectures. The American government responded with an invitation for one man exhibitions in Washington and New York and a similar lecture tour of American universities. Additional international exhibitions followed in Senegal, Turkey, Zaire, the United Arab Republic, Bulgaria, Munich, Kenya and Algeria.
Through much of the 1970s Afewerk was engaged in producing murals and mosaics for many public and religious buildings around Ethiopia, including the mutual Last Judgement in the Adigrat Cathedral in Tigrai. In 1977, his painting Unity Triptych won the gold medal in the Algiers International Festival.
The early 1980s saw a second major exhibition in Moscow and an exhibition in Bonn. In 1981, his painting Self-portrait was the first work by an African artist to enter the permanent collection of the Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy.
In 1997 he exhibited at the Biennale of Aquitaine, France, winning first prize in the international competition. He was also nominated as the Laureate of the Biennale which gave him membership of the French International Academy of Arts.
Afewerk Tekle had membership of the Russian Academy of Arts, so he became the first African member in 1983.
Afewerk Tekle died on 10 April 2012 from severe stomach ulcer complications after receiving treatment at a private hospital in Addis Ababa and was buried at the cemetery of the Holy Trinity Cathedral at Addis Ababa. The artist's death received wide media coverage in the country, with a national committee-arranged funeral.
Source: Tsega Tekle Haimanot ~ FB Post 03-15-2018
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Ahati Kilindi Iyi - Master of African Martial Arts
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What I didn't know about Frederick Douglass: before he married the white woman who gets all the credit for supporting him and his work, he was married to Anna Douglass, a Black woman who got him free (literally) and spent 44 years as his dutiful wife, even and especially when he didn't deserve it. Say HER name: Anna Murray- Douglass.
"By the late 1840s Anna lost much of her emotional support system. Her daughter, Rosetta, was away at school in Albany, New York; and her friend and household helper, Harriet Bailey, had married and moved to Springfield, Massachusetts. Meanwhile, her husband toured England, where rumors spread about the attention lavished on him by the English ladies. After his return in 1847 Douglass moved the family to Rochester, New York, taking Anna away from the small but active black community of which she had been a part in Lynn. Shortly thereafter she suffered the indignity of having the British reformer Julia Griffiths move into the Douglass home, which caused a storm of controversy alleging Frederick’s infidelity with Griffiths. The departure of Griffiths was followed by the arrival of Ottilie Assing, who installed herself in the Douglass home for several months out of the year over the next twenty years. For much of her life Anna lived isolated from supportive African American companionship while hosting a string of white abolitionists who could barely conceal their disdain for her. Only the extended stays of Rosetta and her children and the companionship of Louisa Sprague, Rosetta’s sister-in-law who lived in the Douglass home as a housekeeper, relieved Anna’s loneliness. - See more at: http://blog.oup. com/2007/02/black_history_m3/#sthash.Zbok7bPL.dpuf
Source: FB Feb 11, 2018 -Sylvia Harris - Melanin: The Chemical Key of Royalty aka (The Cotton Fieldz)
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Happy Black History Month!! Do you recognize this great man? If not, you most certainly know of his contributions to black history. Carter G. Woodson was a noted African American historian, scholar, educator, and publisher and is recognized as the father of Black History Month. Woodson dedicated himself to the field of African-American history, working to make sure that the subject was taught in schools and studied by scholars.⠀ ⠀ Black History Month began as “Negro History Week,” which Carter founded in 1926. Celebrated the second week of February, its original goal was to educate kids on the history of blacks in the United States. Carter worked with schools and teachers to develop programming and literature and lobbied extensively to have it celebrated nationally. As the popularity of the week developed, Black educators and the Black United Students at Kent State University proposed Black History Month in February 1969. The first celebration took place at Kent State in February 1970 and in 1976, President Gerald Ford recognized Black History Month, during the celebration of the United States Bicentennial, establishing it as a nationwide institution. ⠀ ⠀ The month of February was chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Black History month is also observed in the United Kingdom and Canada. It was first celebrated in the United Kingdom in 1987 and is in October. It was first recognized in Canada in 1995, and in 2008 the Canadian Senate unanimously approved a motion to recognize February as Black History Month in Canada.⠀ ⠀ There are both advocates and proponents of Black History Month. Advocates argue that it is a way to celebrate black culture and help prevent injustice in future generations. However, criticisms of Black History Month vary from it shouldn’t be limited to just one month, to sentiments that it is not necessary because black history is already intertwined into the everyday study of history, so it shouldn’t be separated and given preferential treatment. ⠀
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Professor Booker T. Coleman (Kaba Hiawatha Kamene)
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Professor Booker T. Coleman is featured in the Documentaries "Hidden Colors 1 & 2".
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Candace of 332 BC has a particular story that still should stand tall today. Despite the lack of knowledge of these Queens this legend made it’s way out.
Her actual name was said to be Amanirenas. She was blind in one eye due to losing it in a battle with the Romans. She was known to be a fierce, tactical and uniting leader. Alexander the Greek had reached Kemet (Ancient Egypt) and was gearing up to battle into Ethiopia. Alexander never fought Candace though and there are a few accounts as to why.
The wildly accepted view one given by Chancellor Williams who wrote ” The Destruction of Black Civilization” is that upon hearing Alexander the great coming Empress Candace, or Amanirenas, gathered her black troops, lined them up across the first cataract along with herself and stood on top of two African Elephants on a throne and waited for Alexander to show up. Alexander the “great”, didn’t want to chance a loss and give up his undefeated winning streak. He definitely didn’t want to lose it to a woman so once seeing the black Queen on her Elephants and her black armies along with her, Alexander the “great” halted his armies at the first cataract, and turned back up into Egypt. Once he saw the deadly military tactician in all her glory and her black army with the latest iron weapons, he decided against an invasion and turned around.
Source: FB Feb 11, 2018 Edward ThomasMelanin: The Chemical Key of Royalty aka (The Cotton Fieldz)
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According to a legend in 332 BC, Alexander the Great headed south of Egypt planning to conquer the kingdoms in the region of Nubia, or Kush. His plans were thwarted, however, by the warrior queen Candace of Meroe. “She would not let him enter Ethiopia and warned him not to despise them because they were black for, ‘We are whiter and brighter in our souls than the rest of you.'”Alexander heeded her advice and headed for Egypt. But this is only a tale; Alexander never ventured into Nubia.
An impressive series of Nubian warrior queens, queen regents, and queen mothers, known as kentakes (Greek: Candace "Candake"), are only appearing to the light of history through the ongoing deciphering of the Merotic script. They controlled what is now Ethiopia, Sudan, and parts of Egypt. One of the earliest references to the kentakes comes from 332 B.C. when Alexander the Great set his sights on the rich kingdom of Nubia.
She placed her armies and waited on a war elephant for the Macedonian conqueror to appear for battle. Alexander approached the field from a low ridge, but when he saw the Black Queen's army displayed in a brilliant military formation before him, he stopped. After studying the array of warriors waiting with such deadly precision and realizing that to challenge the kentakes could quite possibly be fatal, he turned his armies away from Nubia toward a successful campaign in Egypt.
There are different accounts of what actually occurred when Candace confronted Alexander. According to Chancellor Williams, after seeing Candace’s formidable defense of well-trained soldiers armed with iron weapons, Alexander reconsidered his decision to go into battle because his opponent’s air of confidence forced him to think about his winning streak. William Leo Hansberry says that Alexander met semi-privately with Candace. Legend has it that Candace advised Alexander to leave the region immediately and if he refused, after defeating his army, she would cut off his head and roll it down a hill. He also weighed the possibility of losing to a woman general against his reputation.
Source: FB Feb 09, 2018 Melanated People Empowerment
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Dr. David Imhotep is the Author of "The First Americans Were Africans: Documented Evidence". Contrary to popular belief, African people came to the Americas long before Columbus and long before the Native Americans. In this fantastic visual presentation, Dr. David Imhotep will show evidence of an African Presence in The Americas over 56,000 years old and much, much more.
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Dr. Frances Cress Welsing is a psychiatrist and is the author of the book, "The Isis Papers: The Keys To The Colors". She is an expert on what European White Supremacy and Racism are and how they work. She is also feature in the documentary "Hidden Colors".
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Dr. George G.M. James
Dr. George Granville Monah James (unknown – 1954) was a well-regarded historian and author from Georgetown, Guyana. He’s best known for his 1954 book “Stolen Legacy,” in which he presented evidence that Greek philosophy originated in ancient Egypt. He gained his doctorate degree at Columbia University in New York, became a professor of logic and Greek at Livingstone College in Salisbury, N. C., for two years, and then taught at the University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff.
In “Stolen Legacy,” James painstakingly documents the African origins of Graco-Roman philosophical thought. He asserted that “Greek philosophy” was not created by the Greeks at all, instead it was borrowed without acknowledgement from the ancient Egyptians.
James even challenged the foundations of Judaism and Judeo-Christianity and argued that the statue of the Egyptian goddess Isis with her child Horus in her arms is the origin of the Virgin Mary and child.
He mysteriously died, shortly after publishing Stolen Legacy.
Source: FB Post ~ Afrikans Unite - Retrieved-2018-03- 09
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Thomas Edison (like many other white supremacists of the day) was known for stealing inventions of Black creators. Grainville T Woods was called “Black Edison” because “White Edison” kept trying to steal his inventions.
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H.I.M. Emperor Haile Selassie I
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Let the hungry be fed, the naked clothed ,the sick be nourished, aged be protected and the infants cared for!
Picture from St. Pauls Hospital in Addis Ababa —
Source: Jens Kmp FB Post ~ 14 January 2018
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Dr. Ishakamusa Barashango
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Ida B. Wells (1862-1931) was an investigative journalist, newspaper editor, and suffragist who documented lynching in the United States. She was one of the founders of the NAACP, and one of the first to report and write about lynching in the U.S. She traveled around the country documenting incidents and the causes behind them. She published a book called "Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases." It refuted the common rumor that lynch mobs were responding to black men raping white women and pointed to economic and other factors as the cause. Her report caused her to be run out of Memphis, TN but they could not silence her. She continued her work in Chicago, publishing another book, a statistical report on lynching. She also spoke to audiences in the U.S and Europe and launched anti-lynching groups. She famously said, "I'd rather go down in history as one lone Negro who dared to tell the government that it had done a dastardly thing than to save my skin by taking back what I said"
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Professor Joseph Ben Levi
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Nanny, Queen of the Maroons
Lived and died in Nanny Town. Nanny of the Maroons stands out in history as the only female among Jamaica’s national heroes. She possessed that fierce fighting spirit generally associated with the courage of men. In fact, Nanny is described as a fearless Asante warrior who used militarist techniques to foul and beguile the English. Like the heroes of the pre Independence era, Nanny too met her untimely death at the instigation of the English sometime around 1750’s. Yet, the spirit of Nanny of the Maroons remains today as a symbol of that indomitable desire that will never yield to captivity.
Some call her the, "Mother of all Jamaicans." #IWD2018
Source: Tsega Tekle Haimanot ~ FB Post 03-08- 2018
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Queen Makeda (Queen of Sheba)
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Marduk Bel is a Master Teacher and specializes in the language of the Twa, the Medu Neter and Ancient African History.
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Maya Angelou Poem: Still I Rise! In Honor of Black History Month let us remember to Still Rise! Thank you Mother Maya Angelou for your witness and ministry!
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Michael Imhotep is the President of The African History Network which focuses on Educating, Empowering and Inspiring people of African Descent throughout the Diaspora and around the world. He is the Host/Executive Producer of The African History Network Show which can be heard on Thursdays, 8pm-11pm EST on www.AfricanHistoryNetwork.com or you can listen by phone at (914) 338-1375. To contact him please email CustomerService@AfricanHistoryNetwork.com.
The African History Network Show (CD in MP3 Format) Here you will find the exciting interviews from "The African History Network Show". Now you can have them on MP3 CD so you can listen to them when you want to and these are excellent study tools.
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Robert X is a researcher from Chicago and has been doing research on African History, DNA, Metaphysics and other topics for almost 30 years. He is know for his very well documented
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Emperor Tewodros II (c. 1818 - April 13, 1868)
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Ras Kassa becomes Emperor Tewodros II. Emperor Téwodros II (baptized as Sahle Dingil) (c. 1818 – April 13, 1868) was the Emperor of Ethiopia from 1855 until his death. Born Kassa Haile Giorgis, but was more regularly referred to as Kassa Hailu (meaning "restitution" and "His [or the] power"). His rule is often placed as the beginning of modern Ethiopia, ending the decentralized Zemene Mesafint (Era of the Princes).
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William Henry Hastie was the first black federal judge and the first black governor of the Virgin Islands.
He also served as Dean of Howard University Law School, civilian aide to the Secretary of War, and as a member of President Franklin Roosevelt’s “Black Cabinet”
In 1930, Hastie received his LL.B. degree from Harvard University. He was also admitted to the District of Columbia Bar in 1931 and practiced law with his cousin Charles Hamilton Houston who later became Dean of Howard University Law School. Hastie returned to Harvard in 1933 to receive his J. D. degree.
In 1933, he became one of the first black members of the Roosevelt Administration. He was appointed the President’s race relations advisor. Later he was given the post of assistant solicitor for the Department of Interior. While working for the Department he wrote a constitution for the Virgin Islands.
In March 1937, Hastie was appointed judge of the Federal District Court in the Virgin Islands by President Roosevelt, becoming the nation’s first black Federal judge.
He served for two years, and then he resigned in 1939 to become Dean and Professor of Law at Howard University School of Law.
He received the Spingarn Medal in 1943.
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Queen Mother Yaa Asantewaa
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#blackwomenmatter Yaa Asantewaa, is one of the most courageous and revolutionary women I know. A Mother, a Warrior, and a Queen who loved her land just as much as her people. During the reign of the Asante Empire, Britain began to invade and control many of the Afrakan territories. They would exile many powerful Afrakan Kings which would lead to the destruction of the people and land. The British were known to abuse, rape, and kill many Afrakan and would steal the most valuable treasures in the land. Many of which have not been recovered to this very day. Two of these Afrakan rulers who would be exiled would be Queen Asantewaa’s Grandson and the King of the Asante Empire. This did not sit well with many but they felt powerless. To make matters worse, the British Governor, who referred to himself as “General of Ghana”, demanded the Asante Golden Stool. The Golden Stool was a symbol of the spirit of the Asante people.
It was a Spiritual gift that Britain had no right to claim. At a conference, Yaa Asantewaa gave a speech that would shake the nation. She said, “Is it true that the bravery of the Ashanti is no more? I cannot believe it. It cannot be! I must say this: if you the men of Ashanti will not go forward, then we will. We the women will. I shall call upon my fellow women. We will fight the white men. We will fight till the last of us falls in the battlefields.” After the speech, she would lead one of the largest rebellions against the British colonial powers and the last major war led by Afrakan Woman.
It is very important to know the contributions of Black woman like Yaa Asantewaa throughout history so that we may never grow ignorant of our Women’s worth. Queen Nana Yaa Asantewaa is an inspiration to people everywhere that courage is the most important virtue a person can possess. ~ King Kwajo
Source: YES #blackwomenmatter · 7 August 2017 ·
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Emperor Yohannes IV (July 11, 1837 - March 10, 1889)
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Today (03-10-2018) marks the 129th anniversary of the martyrdom of Emperor Yohannes IV.
Let Us remember Emperor Yohannes IV's inspiring famous quote:
"Ethiopia is your Mother, Love her. Ethiopia is your Country, Defend her. Ethiopia is Everything to You, Die for her"
Yohannes IV
Yohannes IV (July 11, 1837 - March 10, 1889), born Lij Kassay Mercha and contemporaneously also known in English as Johannes or John IV, was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1871 until his death in 1889.
Early life
Yohannes IV was born at Mai-biha, a village then within the jurisdiction of Enderta province. He was the son of Mercha, Shum (or "governor") of Tembien, and his wife Woizero (or "Dame") Silass Dimtsu (Amata Selassie), who was the daughter of Dejazmach (roughly equivalent to "Duke") Dimtsu Debbab of Enderta the nephew of the powerful RasWolde Selassie of Enderta. Yohannes could claim Solomonic blood through the line of his paternal grandmother Woizero Workewoha KaleKristoss of Adwa, who was the granddaughter of Ras Mikael Sehul, and his wife Aster Iyasu, daughter of Empress Mentewab and her lover Melmal Iyasu. Yohannes could also claim Solomonic descent more distantly through his father's Tembien family, also through a female link to the dynasty. Amata Selassie's father Dimtsu of Endarta belonged to the family which in late 18th and early 19th centuries had held overlordship of Tigray, and her mother descended from the aristocratic line of the Shums of Agame.
Rise to power
In 1868, at the time of Emperor Tewodros II's suicide in response to the British rescue mission under Sir Robert Napier, Dejazmach Kassai controlled the province of Tigray. With Tewodros's death, he became one of the three most powerful princes in Ethiopia along with Wagshum Gobeze of Lasta and Wag (the future Emperor Tekle Giyorgis II) and King Menelek of Shewa (the future Emperor Menelek II). Kassai was in fact Wagshum Gobeze's prodigy and ally: Wagshum had married his sister Dinqinesh Mercha and was instrumental in helping Kassai rise to power in Tigray. The British expedition had left Yohannes a great deal of ordnance, however, and Kassai refused to pay homage to Wagshum when he declared himself the emperor Tekle Giyorgis II at Sogota in Wag. At first Tekle Giyorgis attempted to mollify him by naming him Re-ese Mekwanint ("first among the nobles"): Kassai promptly began using the title but continued to dispute Tekle Giyorgis's right to supremacy or homage.
Kassai was aided in his defiance by the recent death of Salama, the abuna of the Ethiopian Church: Tekle Giyorgis could not be formally crowned until his replacement was appointed by the Coptic Pope in Cairo, a process which might take years. In fact, Kassai took the initiative: he had gathered the funds to pay Pope Cyril for the ordination and travel of the new archbishop. Abuna Atnatewos arrived by June 1869, but took Kassai's side in the dispute. After consolidating support with Adal of Gojjam and Menelik of Shewa through marriage and pacifying Wollo through force, he invaded Tigray across the Takazze River in 1871. Dejazmach Kassai met the Emperor near Adwa on 11 July 1871, capturing and deposing him. The "emperor" died in captivity the next year. Following Tekle Giyorgis' death, his widow settled in Mekelle at Yohannes's court, continuing to be accorded the title and dignity of an Empress throughout his reign.
Atnatewos crowned Kassai emperor at Axum. The exact date of his crowning is not very clear and there are three different dates given by scholars: 12 January 28 January, and 12 February 1872. In addition, in one of the Emperor's letters to the Queen of England, he states that he assumed power in November. He took the name and title of Emperor, becoming the first emperor crowned in Axum since Fasilides in 1632. Adal of Gojjam soon after submitted to Yohannes and recognized him as Emperor. Adal was rewarded with the titles of Rasand of King (Negus) of Gojjam. Adal was also given the new name of Tekle Haymanot Tessemma.
War with Ottoman Egypt
Throughout his reign, Yohannes was embroiled in military struggles on his northern frontiers. First was from Khedive Isma'il Pasha of Egypt, who sought to bring the entire Nile River basin under his rule. The Egyptians flirted with encouraging Menelik of Shewa against the Emperor, but earned Menelik's enmity by marching from the port of Zeila and occupying the city-state of Harar on 11 October 1875. Both Menelik and Yohannes had regarded Harar as a renegade province of Ethiopia, and Egyptian seizure of the Emirate was not welcome to either of them. The Egyptians then marched into northern Ethiopia from their coastal possessions around the port of Massawa. Yohannes pleaded with the British to stop their Egyptian allies, and even withdrew from his own territory in order to show the Europeans that he was the wronged party and that the Khedive was the aggressor. However, Yohannes soon realized that the Europeans would not stop the Khedive of Egypt and so he gathered up his armies and marched to meet the Egyptian force.
The two armies met at Gundat (also called Guda-gude) on the morning of 16 November 1875. The Egyptians were tricked into marching into a narrow and steep valley and were wiped out by Ethiopian gunners surrounding the valley from the surrounding mountains. Virtually the entire Egyptian force, along with its many officers of European and North American background, were killed. News of this huge defeat was suppressed in Egypt for fear that it would undermine the government of the Khedive. A new Egyptian force was assembled and sent to avenge the defeat at Gundat. The Egyptians were defeated again at the Battle of Gura (7–9 March 1876), where the Ethiopians were led again by the Emperor, and his loyal general, the capable (and future Ras) Alula Engida. This victory was followed by Menelik's submission to Yohannes on 20 March 1878, and in return Yohannes recognized Menelik's hereditary right to the title of King (Negus) of Shewa, and re- crowned him on 26 March. Yohannes took this opportunity to tie the Shewan King more closely to him by arranging for Menelik's daughter Zewditu (the future Empress of Ethiopia in her own right), to be married to his own son and heir, Ras Araya Selassie.
Emperor Yohannes also convened a general council of the Ethiopian Church at Boru Meda later in 1878, which brought an end to the ongoing theological dispute in the local church; Christians, Muslims and pagans were given respectively two, three and five years to conform to the council's decisions. Non-Christians were forbidden from participating in the government unless they converted and were baptised; the Muslims were given three months, while the pagans had to become Christians immediately. "Having concluded that Wollo was worth a mass," as Harold Marcus wryly puts it, his retainer RasMohammed of Wollo became disobedient of the tax rules, which he and the entire wollo refused to pay tax to the government in which Emperor Yohannes had discovered, Ras Mohammed was conspiring with the Turks the Ottoman empire because of his Muslim affiliation. Ras Mohammed was brought to Emperor Yohannes, and was confronted of his conspiracy in helping the Muslim colonizer and to bring down the Judeo Christian empire. Ras Mohammed was siding with Muslim Affiliates of Turkey. After meeting with King Yohannes and in learning that if he were to assist the Turks in the end he and the rest of Ethiopia would become a salve to the Arab/Muslim world. Ras Mohammed then choose to become a Christian to later inherit a Christian name (later Negus) Mikael of Wollo, the Emperor stood as his godfather at his baptism. The new convert was given Menelik of Shewa's other daughter, Shewarega Menelik, as his wife. Yohannes went one step further and pressured Menelik to expel all of the Roman Catholic missionaries from Shewa.
However this time, instead of a single Archbishop, he requested that Patriarch Cyril send four to serve the large number of Christians in Ethiopia, who arrived in 1881. They were led by Abuna Petros as Archbishop, Abuna Matewos for Shewa, Abuna Luqas for Gojjamand Abuna Markos for Gondar. Abuna Markos died shortly after arriving, so his diocese was included with that of Abuna Atnatewos. It was the first time that the Coptic Patriarch of Alexandria had appointed four Bishops for Ethiopia.
War with Sudan
When Muhammad Ahmad proclaimed himself the Mahdi, and incited Sudan into a long and violent revolt, his followers successfully either drove the Egyptian garrisons out of Sudan, or isolated them at Suakin and at various posts in the south. Yohannes agreed to British requests to allow these Egyptian soldiers to evacuate through his lands, with the understanding that the British Empire would then support his claims on important ports like Massawaon the Red Sea to import weapons and ammunition, in the event that Egypt were forced to withdraw from them. This was formalized in a treaty signed with the British at Adwa known as the Hewett Treaty. The immediate result was that the wrath of the Mahdiyah fell upon Ethiopia: Ras Alula defeated an invading Mahdist army at the Battle of Kufit on 23 September 1885. About the same time, Italy took control of the port of Massawa, frustrating Ethiopian hopes and angering Yohannes. Yohannes attempted to work out some kind of understanding with the Italians, so he could turn his attention to the more pressing problem of the Mahdists, although Ras Alula took it upon himself to attack Italian units that were on both sides of the ill-defined frontier between the two powers. Domestic problems increased when the Neguses of both Gojjam and Shewa rebelled against Yohannes, and the Emperor had to turn his attention from the encroaching Italians to deal with his rebellious vassals. Yohannes brutally crushed the Gojjame rebellion, but before he could turn his attention to Shewa news arrived that the Mahdist forces had sacked Gondar and burned its holy churches. He marched north from Gojjam to confront the armies of the Mahdi.
Death
Evidence suggests that Emperor Yohannes had acted rashly and had made himself vulnerable, going beyond enemy lines in range of enemy shots as victory was going to his side. Mortally wounded from a gunshot, he had been carried to his tent, where he announced that his nephew Ras Mengesha was actually his natural son, and named him his heir (his elder son Ras Araya Selassie had died a few years earlier). He died hours later. Although the Ethiopian army had almost annihilated their opponents in this battle, hearing that their ruler had been slain shattered their morale and allowed the Mahdists to counterattack, scattering the Ethiopian forces.
Yohannes' body was carried back to Tigray guarded by a small party, who were overtaken by the Mahdist troops of Zeki Tummal near the Atbara River and who captured the sovereign's body. Augustus B. Wylde, who claimed to have heard the story from a priest who managed to escape the slaughter, wrote how Yohannes' uncle Ras Areya stood beside the body of his dead master with "a few of his soldiers and the bravest of the king's servants, who had lost their all, and had no more prospects to live for".
Ras Areya was last seen standing alongside the box containing the king's body, after having expended all his ammunition, with his shield and sword in his hands, defending himself, till at last he was speared by a Dervish from behind, and died fighting gamely like the fine old warrior that he was.
According to Wylde, as he saw death come Ras Areya announced "that he was now old and done for, that his time had come, and it was useless at his age to serve another master that he knew little about, and it was better to die like a man fighting unbelievers, than like a mule in a stable. The Mahdists brought the Emperor's body back to their capital at Omdurman, where the head was put on a pike and paraded through the streets.
Source: Tsega Tekle Haimanot FB Post - 03-10-2018
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